


Things Falling Into Place

by DarlingSpade



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Break Up, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Post-Hogwarts, Ron Weasley Bashing, Wizards, dramione - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 01:15:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarlingSpade/pseuds/DarlingSpade
Summary: Hermione gets a flat tire in the rain, can't fix it with magic due to her job, and the door she knocks on for help happens to be where Malfoy lives.It's a Dramione story, Post-Hogwarts, and the war. Took most canon things into account(but obviously, not all, it's a Dramione story). For you Ron lovers, sorry but he's not a perfect guy in this story, but if I continue it he'll improve.





	1. Chapter 1

  
  
Rain started to fall harder on Hermione's windshield and she turned her car wipers on only to have one of them stop working completely.  _Perfect. Just fucking perfect._  Hermione was driving home down the streets of muggle London in a small fit of rage. She felt her short but beautiful dark purple bodycon dress clinging to her skin and her black heels pressing against the brake of her car as she came up to a red light. Her hair was done up wonderfully in a messy bun, she had makeup on and earrings, the whole shebang. Hermione had just angrily driven off from a dinner party before it ended because of a horrible fight with her boyfriend Ron Weasley.  _"Well her dress is red. I just like the colour better 'Mione."_ "You just like the fucking colour better you ass Ronald Weasley!" She nearly slammed on the gas when the light turned green and continued down the streets in an angry fury.   
  
Ron and Hermione had been dating for three years before their normal small arguments had grown into full-blown yelling fights. It had gotten to the point where they even fought at their anniversary. Sometimes their bigger fights led to physical fights, and it was something Hermione tried her best to avoid. This was the ninth huge fight of the year and it was only May, so when things started to escalate at the party Hermione yelled at Ron that he could get a ride home with someone else and that she was going home and for him not to follow-although not quite as politely as that.  
  
Hermione had reached the less busy area of London where it was a stretch of larger houses and apartments before it got into the smaller apartments-where hers was-about seven blocks down. But soon enough Hermione felt the car go over a large bump and her car drastically started moving towards one side. "Shit."  _Was that my tire?_  Hermione has no choice but to quickly pull over in front of one of the larger houses so she could check her tire. She looked out her window to gaze at the house she was parked in front of and admired it for a second. It looked like a double story house with an impressive structure and multiple windows, and a few lit. The house even had a balcony.  
  
Hermione sighed and shut her car off before looking out the window and dreading to go outside.  _If I knew it was going to rain I would have brought my umbrella._  She sighed. Her car was now leaning heavily towards one side and she knew she had a flat without even having to go out and look. Hermione knew she could use magic to make it easier, but this was muggle London, and her position at the ministry frowned upon them using magic anywhere in muggle London. And she was the only of her friends who had a muggle phone so she couldn't reach them that way. Hermione looked back at the house again.  _Maybe they can help me, and even if they can't it's worth a try._  
  
Hermione sighed and grabbed her purse and keys before quickly exiting and locking her car before rushing out of the rain and under the safety of the house's overhanging doorway. Somehow she was still able to get significantly wet as the houses' doorway was a great distance from the street as it had a massive driveway and front lawn. She glanced to the left to see that the light in the house was still on before knocking thrice on the door and waiting for a response.  
  
In a few more moments her heard the unlocking of the door and then watched the door open to reveal an unexpected figure in a t-shirt and sweats. "Draco!?" Hermione took a slight step back from the surprise.  
  
"Granger? What the bloody hell are you doing here? How did you find me?" Draco frowned.  
"Find you? You sound as if I tried to end up here."  
"The ministry's been trying to figure out where I holed up. I moved here to avoid the paparazzi."  
"Oh, apologies for that."  
"Well if you're not here on purpose then why are you here at all?" He leaned against his doorway.  
  
"My car got a flat. And as you can tell it's pouring. I can't use magic and my apartment is still about six blocks away." Hermione let out a sigh and realized how pathetic she must look to him right now.  _Of course, Malfoy's the one that owns this huge house. Just my luck._  
  
Draco looked past her to see the car that was dimly lit under a streetlight and then back down at Hermione. He stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head and opening the front door as an invitation to come in. "You can stay here until morning, then I'll help you fix your tire and you can be on your way."  
  
Hermione looked up at him in shock.  _How is this the same guy who bullied me for six years? He's... a lot better looking than before. His face looks softer and less angry._  "Thank you." Hermione reluctantly stepped inside and rubbed her feet against his welcome mat before stepping into the large house. Draco shut and locked the door behind her and stood to look at her while she admired his house.  
  
The house was modern and in a black, white, grey, and emerald colour scheme. The couches were black leather and most of the main wooden furniture like the coffee table was white. the walls were a light grey with white trim and there were accents of emerald thrown into the mix with rugs and smal detailings in the art.  
  
"You like the place?" He finally asked.  
"Uh-" Hermione did a double take to look back at him before turning her head away again. "Yeah. It's nice." Her cheeks were flushed red.  
"I'm glad. I spent a lot of time designing it."  
"This is your work?" Hermione spun around to actually look at him and he nodded.  
"My mom helped a bit but it was mainly me." He smiled before pulling out his wand and pointing it at her.  
"I knew it was too good to be true." Hermione frowned.  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow before swishing his wand and drying her hair for her. "What was too good to be true?"  
  
Hermione felt pink rise back into her cheeks. "Nothing." She turned her head away before slowly walking further into the house.  
  
"Feel free to get comfortable. I can show you to your room if you'd like?" Draco asked.  
"M-my room?"  
"Yes. The guest bedroom?" He looked at her in confusion.  
"Oh, yeah. Of course."  _Damn. Get you're head together Hermione._  She shook her head and gave him a small smile.  
"So..?"  
"What?"  
"Would you like me to show you the guest bedroom?" The question was laced with amusement from Draco.  
  
"Oh, sorry. No. I'm okay for now." Hermione shook her head and first sat on one of the couches. "You even have a fireplace!" She exclaimed and gestured to the wall in front of her. "That's so cool." Draco smiled at her amusement and simply nodded before sitting on the other couch beside her.  
  
"So. If I may ask Grang-Hermione." She looked at him in confusion at the correction of her name. "Why are you dressed up so nice? One could actually say beautiful." Draco murmured the last part so she couldn't hear, but Hermione's frustration had already come back so that she wouldn't have noticed in the first place.  
  
"I was at a dinner partner with Harry and everyone else." Draco noticed her sudden anger and looked at her in confusion.  
  
"That sounds decent enough, but then why were you coming back alone? Surely Weasl-Ron. Must have been with you?" He added with a slight edge in his tone. "Assuming you drove to the event with your boyfriend?"  
  
"Ugh. Don't even bring up his stupid name right now. He's such a fucking git." Hermione let out the comment before she realized what she said. "Oh-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to curse-" She was interrupted by the sound of Draco laughing at her.  
  
"Oh my god! I never thought I would hear Hermione Granger curse! And at her own boyfriend for that matter!" He continued to laugh and Hermione only got flustered. As he calmed down he then tried to continue the conversation. "So? You two got into a fight I'm guessing?"  
  
"Yes."  
"And how did Ronald fuck up as usual?" Draco smirked.  
"He proceeded to fawn over some girl in a red dress in the middle of a conversation."  
"Rumours are that this is a common occurrence."  
"Yeah." She replied sadly. "They are."  
  
Draco quickly realized he had now crossed a line that he shouldn't have and moved over to Hermione to comfort her. At the gesture, Hermione started to cry. Draco had only seen Hermione cry at his own words before and it hurt him that something had made her cry again, worse it was most likely Ron. "Hermione, are you alright?" He reached over to put a hand on her should and Hermione only continued to stare at her lap and shake her head when he asked. He sat and only watched her crying for a second before he figured out what to do to maybe help. With Hermione still crying beside him, Draco reached forward to pull Hermione into his chest to comfort her. He felt the heat of her body and her skin touch his bare arms and felt a small string tug at his heart.  
  
"I-I feel so guilty." Hermione choked out.  
"Why?"  
"Because he keeps saying I don't love him anymore. It's our biggest fight...but he's right. I don't love him anymore."  
"You can't help what you feel towards people Hermione..." Draco rubbed circles on her back and a realization hit him.  
"I know but... I feel like I've been lying to him for months..." Hermione shook her head.  
  
"You're scared of what will happen with your relationship if you leave?" Draco asked and Hermione simply nodded. "Well, I don't think you should have too much to worry about. The famous trio has been besties since you were in your first year at Hogwarts. You've been friends for 9 years now? I think everything will work out." Hermione had stopped crying so hard and was now only sniveling slightly. "Of course, there's going to be some time that Ron will need to himself, but soon enough things will go back to normal. I know Potter-Harry, wouldn't let anything happen to you guys. He's selfless and loyal, there's no way that he's going to let either of you go that easily."   
  
Hermione pulled away from Draco and gave him a small smile as she wiped her tears away. "Thank you." Hermione stood up and Draco felt a sudden loss of warmth and the instinct to pull her back to him. "I think I should take up your previous offer. Could you show me the guest room Draco?"   
  
"Uh-yeah." Draco nodded and stood before making his way towards a staircase that leads to the second story. "Up here." He climbed the stairs with Hermione following him before leading her down the hall and into a large bedroom. He opened the door for her and Hermione stepped inside.  
  
"Wow, your guests must sleep in luxury it looks like.  
"It's no big deal. Only the best for my guests." Draco shrugged.  
"Oh. My bag with my spare clothes is still in my car." Hermione went to move past him but Draco stopped her.  
"It's still pouring. Just borrow some of mine."  
"Oh-alright." Hermione's cheeks flushed pink and Draco realized what he said.  
  
"I-I'll go get those." Draco quickly turned and went down the hall and into the door next to Hermione's room.  _Get a hold of yourself Draco. It's just clothes._  Draco reached into his drawers to pull out one of his plain green t-shirts and a pair of black boxers.  _I'm not trying to imply anything, it's just the only thing that will fit her._  Draco sighed and moved sit on his bed whilst still holding his clothes.  _How did tonight end up like this?_ Draco shook his head to try and gain his composure before standing up and making his way back to Hermione's room. He paused a the entrance and stood to watch Hermione taking down her curly hair from the updo she had on. Draco gazed and took in the slight curves of Hermione's figure from behind as she sat on the bed.  _She's beautiful._  Draco then shook his head.  _No. I can't think like that._  Draco knocked on the door frame and Hermione turned around to watch him approach. "Here are some spare clothes. I'm sorry but they were all I could think of that would fit you."  
  
"It's alright." Hermione took the clothes from Draco and set them on the bed before standing up to face him. Draco took in the sight of her brown curls falling down on her shoulders. "Thank you, Draco. For everything." Hermione smiled up at him and Draco felt a drop in his stomach.  
  
"No problem Hermione." He stepped back and moved his hand to the doorknob to close the door. "Sleep well."  
  
"Wait." Draco looked at her in confusion and Hermione glanced down at her feet before meeting Draco's eyes again. "I meant to ask earlier, but why are you calling me Hermione? I heard you correcting yourself with all of our names. Aren't I supposed to be 'Granger' or 'Mudblood' to you?" Hermione flinched at the second word.  
  
"Oh. That. No, no I would never call you  _that_  again. And Hermione is your name, isn't it? Just as Harry and Ron are not Potter and Weasley." Draco glanced down at Hermione's left arm and noticed that she had covered it in makeup.   
  
"Yeah, but it's what you always called me." Hermione shrugged and looked away from him.  
"I know. I was younger and stupider." Draco sighed. "I should have never talked to you the way I did. And for that I'm sorry."  
"Oh, well, thank you." Hermione looked back at him and gave him a small smile.  
  
"Of course." Draco and Hermione only stood and stared at each other. Draco was the first to turn away and break their eye contact. "If that's it, then I'll leave you be now. I'm just the next room over if you need me." Draco smiled before he shut the door for her and stood outside of it.  _I can't._  He sighed and went downstairs to turn off the rest of the lights in the house before returning to his room.  
  
Hermione stood and watched the door close in front of her before she turned and moved back around to sit on her bed.  _Why did you have to go?_  Hermione looked back at the door before rolling over and burying her face in the bed.  _What am I thinking? I'm still with Ron._  Hermione rolled back over and sat up to look at the clothes on the bed.  _But Draco is..._  She sighed and got changed into the extra clothes.  _They smell like him._  "No. No, I can't." Hermione stood up and walked over to the door.  _I'll just take off my makeup and go to bed._ Hermione stepped out of the room and looked over at Draco's bedroom door.  _I can't ask him, I'll just find the bathroom myself._    
  
Hermione started down the hallway and started checking doors to see if they led to a bathroom. Eventually, she found the right door and she slipped inside before turning on the light. She started washing her face and started to reveal her natural skin and eyes. Hermione looked down to watch the coloured water go down the drain before grabbing a towel and drying her face. She turned off the light and then heard a small thud from downstairs.  
  
"What the hell?" Hermione slipped out of the room and started towards the stairs before stopping at the first step and trying to peer over the railing. She saw two white lights coming from a far room downstairs and instantly knew that someone was in the house. Hermione ran back to her room to grab her wand and returned to the stairs and crouched as she proceeded down them. It was now where the figures were close enough for her to hear their voices.  
  
"Find out people's locations with magic is illegal! Now we're breaking and entering!" She heard a voice whispering to the other figure.  
"She didn't go home, Harry. That's why we're here." The other figure whispered.  
"  
_Harry?_  Hermione made it to the bottom of the staircase and watched the two balls of light get closer. "Petrificus totalus!" She yelled and cast a spell directly towards one of the figures.  
  
"Bloody Hell!" The figure fell to the ground and Hermione turned her wand on the other intruder.  
  
"Wait Hermione! Lumos maxima!" She clearly heard Harry's voice and watched light flood into the room from Harry's wand.  
  
Hermione saw Harry standing with his hand up in defense and Ron was lying petrified on the ground. Then a switch was flipped and the actual lights of the house came on and Harry lowered his wand.  
  
"What the bloody hell are you two doing here stalking around my house? How did you even get in here in the first place?" Draco came up from behind Hermione in a t-shirt and shorts and had his wand raised.  
  
"Malfoy!" Harry raised his wand again.  
"Oh, bloody hell. Put your wands down! Both of you." Hermione snapped and they both paused before complying.  
  
"Fine." Malfoy turned to Hermione and his gaze softened before turning back to Harry and Ron. "Would you mind explaining yourselves still? How the hell did you find my house and get into it?"  
  
"We'll explain once you get me off the bloody ground!" Ron yelled.  
"Finite incantatem!" Harry pointed his wand at Ron and he then got up to stand.  
  
"We were looking for her." Ron pointed at Hermione.  _They're both still in their suits._  Ron rubbed his head without really getting a good look at Hermione, he sort of avoided looking at her at all. "Once she bloody ran off from the party we stayed to let her cool off. Then-"  
  
"Then Ron illegally tracked where you were once the party ended- Harry said annoyed but was cut off.  
"I only did it to make sure she was home safe!"  
"And then he used the floo network to illegally break and enter into your house through your fireplace Malfoy."  
  
"And another thing!" Ron again interrupted. "When I saw that you were here at some random address I was afraid that you got kidnapped! So I came here half expecting that we needed to save you! But here you are! With bloody Malfoy of all people! What the bloody hell Hermione!" Ron actually faced her and Harry just shook his head in defeat. Malfoy felt anger bubbling up but he said nothing and waited for Hermione to handle it.  
  
"My car got a flat, so I pulled over and knocked on the closest door I could. You know I'm not allowed to use magic with my job if I'm in a muggle neighborhood, so I had to do what I could. Malfoy just happened to live here is all."  
  
"Fine. A good excuse, but then please explain to me why you're wearing his clothes?" Ron was furious.  
"He offered to let me stay and fix the flat in the mor-" Hermione desperately tried to reason with him.  
"And you accepted his offer? Hermione you could of-"  
"It was raining what would you expect me to-"  
"Not cozy up with our arch enemy that's for sure!"   
"He was just trying to help!"  
  
"He was just trying to get into your pants!" Ron had moved close enough to grab Hermione's wrist. Draco and Harry noticed but were frozen and unsure of what to do in the moment. "Surely the greatest witch in our year isn't stupid enough-" His grip tightened and Hermione winced in pain.  
  
"Ron stop. You're hurting-"  
"-to hang out with former death eater-  
"Ron please." She tried pulling away from him  
  
-and someone who tried to bloody kill her before!" He grabbed her other wrist once she started fighting against him and that's when Draco and Harry finally realized that they needed to intervene and that Hermione didn't have control of the situation anymore.   
  
Harry grabbed Ron from behind and tried to pull him away from Hermione. "Ron stop. You need to let go of her." Harry tried to reason with Ron who only continued to shout at Hermione and now Harry.  
  
Draco raised his wand again and pointed it at Ron. "Petrificus totalus!" Ron suddenly froze and fell to the ground with Hermione stumbling from the shock and falling back against Draco. He helped her stand straight again and noticed that she had tears in her eyes.  
  
"Is he the reason you don't love me anymore?" Ron yelled from the ground.  
"R-ron. N-no." Hermione choked out while holding her wrist.  
"Then why? Are you fucking him?"  
"No! No Ron! It-It's just not, we're not the same anymore Ron!" She yelled back. Draco held her in comfort as she started to slowly break down.  
"Why?"  
"It's just not Ron! We're not the same anymore! I can't... I can't do this anymore."  
"Fine."  
"Ron..."  
"Fine. That's it. Let's go Harry."  
  
"Finite incantatem." Harry said nothing else and watched Ron get up and leave the house in silence. Harry then went over to Hermione and she broke away from Draco to hug him and practically collapse into his hug. "It's going to be okay 'Mione."  
  
"Harry, if you think she should stay somewhere else, I understand." Draco felt something tug at his heart but he ignored it.  
"No-I... Hermione, it's your choice." Harry pulled away from her and Hermione rubbed the tears from her eyes.  
  
"I, I think I'll stay here. I-I'm not ready to go home yet. Draco will help me in the morning."  
"Alright. I'm sorry about all of this, to the both of you.' Harry apologized.  
  
"Thank you, but I'm sure you realize it's not you that we need the apology from." Draco frowned.  
"Yeah." Harry sort of glared at him but only half-heartedly.  
  
 The three of them moved over to the doorway and Draco opened the door for Harry. Hermione looked outside to see Ron stalking and circling her car outside where her tire was flat. She frowned and Draco touched her shoulder to get her to stop looking outside. She looked up at him and he simply shook his head. Harry glanced at both of them before sighing and stepping out of the house.   
  
"Thanks for helping Hermione out Malf-... Draco." Harry nodded at him in acknowledgment.  
"No problem Harry. I'm trying to be a better man than before, it's the least I could do." Draco nodded back.  
  
Harry looked at him with some form of respect before nodding in understanding. "Well, Goodnight Hermione, Draco." Harry turned and walked out into the rain after Ron.   
  
Draco shut and locked the door behind Harry before turning back to Hermione. "Are you alright Hermione?" She said nothing and continued to look at the ground. "Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione shook her head no. "Alright. How about we just head back up to bed for now?" Hermione nodded silently and Draco led her back upstairs and shut the downstairs lights off behind him. "You know, I'm surprised you're not going off on a tangent about your knowledge of the flooring in my house, considering you've been looking at it for so long, and you're such a know-it-all."  
  
"I never went off on tangents." Hermione looked up at him.  
  
"Sure you did," Draco smirked and rested a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "And I thought you didn't feel like talking." Hermione's cheeks flushed red and she stopped before Draco's room and stared down the hallway. "Hermione? Are you okay?"  
  
"I don't want to go to bed yet..." Hermione murmured.  
"Do you want to talk?" Draco asked.  
"Yes, please."  
  
"Okay, alright." Draco opened his bedroom door. "Is it okay to talk in here?"  
"Yeah, that's okay."  
  
Draco nodded and Hermione stepped inside. Draco's bedroom followed the colour pattern of the rest of the house but had touches of personality thrown in. Quittich posters and a few trophies and certificates. A bookcase filled with both muggle and wizard authors. His bed was a large king-sized bed with for pillows arranged on it. Hermione stepped over and sat on the large bed. Draco almost laughed at the difference in size comparison between the bed and her.  
  
"What's so funny?" Hermione asked.  
"You just look kinda cute on that huge bed." Draco chuckled. "Not in a weird way though."  
"Ha ha. Thanks." She deadpanned and rolled her eyes.  
"So, you wanted to talk? How did all of what I just saw, happen?"  
  
"Well..." Hermione sighed. "Ron and I started dating ever since the Battle of Hogwarts, and things started off okay. Then, around a year and a half passed and things got a bit harder. I graduated from Hogwarts and started work at the Ministry, it meant I spent less time with him and he was upset about it. We started getting into fights soon after that and things just progressively got worse. Harry and Ginny watched the whole thing happen, and soon enough even Neville and Luna figured it out." Hermione sighed. "Soon enough the fights started to escalate. Things got worse. I moved into my own apartment once Ron hit me the first time." Draco frowned. "And it got worse... Every time it happened he would apologize and we would make up. I covered up the bruises with makeup and we got through it until things got bad again."  
  
"And the fights... they were worse than what I saw out there?" Draco asked cautiously.  
"Uh-yeah... Yes, they were. More often than not." Hermione glanced away.  
"Shit. I'm sorry."  
"Don't worry about it." Hermione brushed the worry away.  
"Well.... what now?" He asked.  
"W-what now? What do you mean? Hermione looked at him with slightly pink cheeks.  
"I mean, what are you going to do now that you and Ron are separated?"  
  
"I never really thought about that." Hermione grew quiet and Draco was worried that he may have said too much. Hermione turned to her side and laid down with her head on the pillows. "I've always had to schedule my time in accordance to what Ron wanted, now I'm going to have all this spare time on my hands."  
  
"You scheduled your time around Ron?" Draco scooted up closer to the pillows but remained sitting.  
  
"I didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to keep him happy. He always hated it when I used my free time to do something besides spend it with him. Eventually, I just got used to the routine that he built up, and I stopped questioning it." Hermione short of shrugged.  
  
"That's not how a relationship should be Hermione." Draco furrowed his brows.  
"Well that's what is was like." She yawned. "It's too late to take it back now."  
"Are you alright?"  
"I don't know."   
  
Draco said nothing and sighed. The two sat in silence for awhile until Draco stood up to stretch. When he turned to look beside himself again at Hermione he noticed that she had fallen completely asleep. He gave her a small smile before moving over to her side of the bed and crouched beside her to get around eye level. He shook her arm just slightly but she flinched when he did so. "Hey, Hermione. Can you move or do you want me to carry you into the other room." Hermione groggily peeked her eyes open just slightly to look at Draco for a second before closing them again and shaking her head no. "Uh? No you can't move?" She shook her head. "And no you don't want me to carry you?" She shook her head. "Alright." Draco scatched his forehead. "Well, I'm going to go sleep in the guest bedroom thne if you need me." He went to stand when Hermione reached her arm out to grab his shirt. "What is it?" She shook her head. "Oh my Merlin Hermione..." He sort of laughed. "Do you want me to stay in here with you?" She nodded. "Alright then. I'll stay." Hermione gave a groggy smile before pullin her arm back and quickly dozing off again.   
  
Draco smiled and shook his head in disbelief. He then pulled the covers out from underneath Hermone and threw them back onto her before moving over to shut and lock the bedroom door. t was a habit that Draco had adapted when Death Eaters used to constantly roam around his house and he wanted to keep them out of his room. He turned around to turn off the lights but he left the curtains open so the moonlight would still shine through.  _In case she gets scared she'll still be able to see._  Draco then turned and walked to the opposite side of the bed that Hermione was on. He looked at her and noticed that Hermione had rolled over onto her other side.  _She's so cute._  "Shit. You can't think like that." He sighed and got into the other side of the bed and faced away from her whilst trying to get comfortable.  _I don't normally sleep with my shirt or shorts on but I plan to keep as much decency as possible in this situation.  
  
_ Draco could practically feel his heart pounding in his chest because of his proximity to Hermione.  _This has never happened with anyone before. Why her?_ Draco felt the strongest urge to roll over and look at her but he pushed the thought far back into his mind. Draco became aware of any small movement that Hermione made and it was starting to drive him crazy.  _I can't focus with her this close.  
  
_ "Draco." He heard Hermione mumble the word in her sleep.  
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Draco buried his head in his pillows.  
"Huh? What is it now Ron?" Hermione asked tiredly.  
"Huh? Hermione?" Draco sat up and turned to look at her.  
"What is it?" She blinked a few times and focused her eyes on Draco.  
"Oh. Draco. Shit! I'm so sorry! Ron just-"  
"Don't worry about it. I don't really want to know how Ron hurt you in the past."  
"I'm sorry."  
"No, Hermione I didn't mean it like that." Draco sighed and then reached forward to grab Hermione and pull her against him.  
"Draco? Are you okay?" Hermione looked up at him.  _His lips are right there!_  
"Hermione you astound me." Draco shook his head in defeat before he let go of her and laid on his back.  
  
Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes before looking down at him. "Draco, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you Ron, it was honestly just a mistake." Hermione turned to face him more on the bed and he glanced at her.  
  
"For being a bright witch you're honestly pretty dull Hermione." Draco commented.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione frowned and glared at him.  
  
Draco simply sighed at then slowly sat up. He next moved forward to place his hand on Hermione's and leant forward so that their lips were inches apart. Draco's blue-grey eyes met Hermione's brown ones and he simply unwaveringly gazed at her. A blush instantly spread across Hermione's face and she was the first one to pull her face away, but she left her hand under his.  
  
"W-what are you doing?" she asked.  
"Do you realize what I meant yet Hermione?" He raised his eyebrows at her.  
"W-wait. Y-you mean?" Hermione found herself at a loss for words.  
"Yes." Draco pulled his hand away and then proceded to lay back down.  
  
Hermione watched him lie back down and found something tugging at her.  _Don't go._  She turned to look at him before looking down at her hand. "Draco..." Hermione felt a rush of anxiety running through her. Draco glanced at her and noticed the worried look on her face.  
  
"What is it?" He asked concerned.  
"I-I wanted to ask you a favour. I need to figure something out." Hermione wouldn't meet his eyes.  
"What's the favour?" Draco sat up to lean on one arm.  
  
"Kiss me."  
  
Draco stared at Hermione who's face was flushed red. She kept her gaze pinned at her hands and kept them there as Draco fully sat up to face her. Hermione glanced her eyes over at him but her body still didn't fully face him. He scooted closer to her before using a hand to slowly cup her face and turn it towards him before closing his eyes and gently pressing his lips against hers. Hermione stared at him before giving into the kiss and letting her eyes close as well. Not soon after he leaned in did he pull away.  
  
"Favour granted?" He asked still looking at her.  
"Y-yeah. Thank you." She turned her face away.  
  
Draco said nothing but felt a pang in his chest.  _I guess she doesn't have feelings after all._  He laid back down and turned to face away from her.  _I guess she'll be gone in the morning._  Draco pulled the covers up higher when he felt Hermione slip back into bed beside him. But then Draco felt Hermione's arms from behind and he felt her body press up against his back and her arms wrap around his chest.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm just, getting used to this. I've been over Ron for months but... I've never actually been intimate with anyone in awhile." Hermione apologized and hugged Draco from behind.  
  
"I'm not upset. I'm relieved." Draco brought up his hand to hold one of Hermione's.  
"Is this wrong? I just broke up wih Ron."   
"Well... it's not morally that great of a decision. But anything you're feeling isn't wrong."  
"All of the feelings are very confusing right now." Hermione sounded muffled against Draco's back.  
"Yeah? Me too..."  
  
The conversation ended there for the night, a pretty soon the two fell into an easy and much needed sleep. Both didn't really know how to face the morning or how to go about the next steps of their unestablished relationship, but they would end up facing it sooner or later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still unsure if I want to continue this or not, I have some ideas, so please let me know if you'd like to read more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a few comments, I decided that I might as well go on with the ideas that I had originally had in mind if I was to continue the story, so thank you for those. More notes at the end.

  
  
Draco woke up almost uncomfortably warm and he soon remembered why when he noticed the two arms still hung around his torso.  _That's right. Hermione slept in my bed._  Draco slowly moved out of her arms so they fell to her side and turned around to look at her. Hermione was still dead asleep and she didn't look like she had moved all night. He could see the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed and he smiled to himself.  _What a beauty._  Draco then slowly got out of bed as to not wake Hermione and slipped on some sweats before quietly unlocking and opening the door. He stopped for a second to gaze at her again before stepping out into the hallway and carefully closing the door behind him.  
  
Draco made his way downstairs and pulled open the back glass door's curtains to let light into the adjoining kitchen. He decided to make breakfast the "muggle" way and decided not to use any magic this time. He pulled out ingredients from the fridge and started chopping onions and ham. He then turned to the stove and started coating a pan with butter before cracking two eggs in a bowl and stirring them. He turned the stove on before putting some cheese in with the egg along with the onions and salt and pepper.   
  
Draco actually enjoyed living in a muggle neighborhood surprisingly. His neighbor, a kind old woman named Leslie had welcomed him as soon as he moved in a little over a year ago. She brought over an apple pie that she had made the second night he stayed there and he had grown very fond of the old woman. She unknowingly helped Draco embrace a more simple life and he realized that he didn't need magic to do everything. He found this especially true with cooking and baking, and he found that he quite enjoyed them both.  
  
Draco soon finished making both Hermione and himself omelets and had them served on two plates. He set them down on the table and brought out some orange juice and poured it into two glasses.  _I just hope she likes it._  He smiled and covered the plates with a glass bowl to keep them warm for them to eat once Hermione woke up. Draco then walked down the hall to his other bathroom to use it and wash his face. He then stared at himself in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair.  _What happens now? We can't just date, that would be wrong, even I know that. And all of these feelings are just as confusing to her as they are to me._ Draco looked back down to turn off the water before stepping back out of the bathroom. He looked back at the staircase and up to the second story.  _Who knows? This split just might send her back to Ron. I know she thinks she's over him and has been for months, but how can I know that for sure?_    
  
Draco sighed and turned away to walk over to stare at his living room.  _I need a dog, or a hamster, or a fish or something. I need something to bring more life into this house._ He glanced back upstairs.  _Maybe she's what I need._  "Merlin. What are you thinking Draco?" He shook his head and walked over to an empty spot in his living room. "A large hamster cage could fit perfectly here. Maybe even a tank, that would work better." Draco turned around again to glance back upstairs.  _Maybe I should check on her._  "You're probably worrying too much," Draco mumbled as he made his way back up the stairs.  
  
Draco made it back to his room and slowly peeked open the door to check on how Hermione was doing and he got worried at the sight of her on the bed. She was facing away from him while sitting on the edge of the bed and looking down at her hands.  
  
"Hermione. Are you okay?"  
"Huh?" She turned around and revealed that she was holding a white bear cub stuffed animal in her hands.  
"I was just-you found, Mr. Muffin." Draco sort of mumbled the last part.  
"Did you say, Mr. Muffin?"  
"Uh-yeah. He was my favourite toy as a kid, I just kept him for...y'know." His face grew red.  
  
Hermione smiled and hugged the bear closer to her. "That's so cute. You've kept your bear this whole time." Hermione laughed and stood up before walking over to where Draco stood in the doorway. "That's sweet."  
  
Draco felt his face flush and he carefully took the bear from her and put it back on the bed whilst clearing his throat. "Uh-yeah. Thanks." He avoided her eyes. "Breakfast is ready if you would like some." Draco turned on heel and started walking back down the hallway and downstairs without really waiting for Hermione's response.  
  
Hermione only smiled at his reaction before following him a few seconds later to make her own way down the stairs. She reached the bottom of the staircase and stopped to admire the house once again but in the daylight this time. Draco glanced at her but was busy removing the glass bowls and setting out silverware at the dining room table. Hermione then slowly made her way over to him and he pulled out a chair for her. She smiled and sat down and he pushed her hair in for her before sitting down across from her.  
  
"I hope it's alright. You eat meat, right? I just made it with ham without thinking whether or not-"  
"It's okay. I eat meat." She cut him off when he started to ramble.  
"Okay, sorry." He mumbled and began to eat.  
  
After a nearly silent breakfast Draco took their glasses and left them in the sink to soak and he would get to them later. Hermione looked at Draco in confusion at his change of nerves from last night. Ever since she saw him this morning he seemed kind of embarrassed.  _Maybe it was the bear._  Hermione worried and glanced at him while he was putting things back in the fridge.  _Maybe I can get him to notice me and say something._  
  
Hermione looked around and spotted some books on Draco's coffee table. She glanced back before knocking them to the floor. "Oh shit! Sorry, Draco!" She moved down and got on her hands and knees while facing away from him.  _It's a bit much but I want him to say something to me again. This silence is awkward._  
  
Draco turned instantly once he heard something knock over and he turned around to see Hermione's butt sticking up and facing him as she picked up the books. She had his boxers worn at her waist so that when she bent over that much Draco had a clear view of her panties.  _I would never have guessed dark red._  "It's alright!" Draco avoided his gaze soon after and he went back to putting all of the ingredients and utensils away.  
  
Hermione turned back around to notice Draco going back to cleaning up and she pouted slightly.  _No reaction, maybe he didn't notice._  Hermione looked around the room and then had an idea.  _Maybe yoga?_  She moved around and again faced mostly with her back to Draco and went into a downward dog position. Once she did her shirt slowly started inching down towards her face as she held the stretch.  _C'mon Draco. Talk to me._  
  
Draco glanced over to see Hermione's matching red bra poke out just below her shirt and he noticed her panties again as well.  _What the hell._  He glanced away and felt his groin tighten just a bit.  _I have to get her to stop that before this becomes an issue._  Draco sighed as he didn't really want to stop he and he walked his way over to her. "Hermione, what are you doing?"  
  
She looked up at him still from her position-which was kind of hard with her shirt bunched up at her face.  _Finally._  "I just wanted to stretch a bit." Hermione felt something tug at her abdomen when she looked at Draco. She felt the urge to get closer to him now that he moved over to her.  
  
"I'm not sure if that's a smart thing to do after you eat," Draco commented.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" Hermione got back into a sitting position.  
"No! No, that's not it at all. You're fine." Draco shook his head and moved down to sit on the floor with her.  
"Draco."  
"What?"  
"Could you, kiss me again?" Hermione asked.  
"Hermione, I-"  
"Please. I know Ron is making this weird but-"   
  
Draco cut her off by kissing her and then pulling quickly away. "Hermione this whole situation is weird." Draco sighed and stood up and started towards the couch when Hermione stood up as well and grabbed his arm. "What-?" Hermione pushed her body against Draco's and kissed him again, but this time he held on to him to deepen the kiss. Draco felt a tug in his abdomen and a strain in his sweats so he went with instinct and followed Hermione's lead with the kiss. He noticed her poking at his mouth with her tongue and he allowed her to kiss him deeper before they both broke away in a pant. Hermione tugged Draco over to the couch so that he laid on top of her and she reached for the hem of his shirt. "Wait."  
  
"What? Did I do something wrong?" Hermione looked up at him with wide eyes.  
  
"No, no it's not that. But Hermione, I don't think that we should be doing this, and definitely not  _that._ " Hermione looked up at him hurt and Draco quickly tried to explain. "What I mean is, Ron and you broke up just last night? I know you might think you want this, and with me, but don't you think you should wait?" He asked.  
  
"It's not like I haven't done this before." Hermione crossed her arms.  
"Done what?"  
"Sex." Hermione glanced away.  
"Hermione..."  
"What? Ron and I did it once before." Hermione sort of snapped.  
"Once?"  
"Yeah, he... he was really rough... we never really did it again after. He was always upset about that too."  
  
"Oh, Merlin! Hermione." Draco moved back to sit on the opposite side of the couch and watch as Hermione sat up. She wouldn't meet his eyes and Draco let out a sigh. "Now I definitely can't do this." Hermione looked at him in confusion. "Hermione, I don't want your second time, and first time with me, to be like this. I don't want it to be forced or you feeling not happy or anything like that. And you deserve more than that as well." Draco ran a hand through his hair and saw that Hermione was starting to cry again. "Bloody hell." Draco moved over and pulled Hermione up against him. "I'm not saying that I don't like you, or that I don't want to do this with you, I'm just saying that we should wait if we really want this. You should take time to recover." Draco glanced at her bruised wrists before carefully grabbing them and bringing them up to his lips before placing soft kisses on them. "You deserve so much more than what's been given to you Hermione, I hope you realize that."  
  
Hermione felt a wave of confusion fall over her.  _I just don't know what I want._  Hermione said nothing in response to Draco but he seemed to understand what was going on with our her having to say it this time.   
  
"Maybe you should go home, Hermione. Mull things over?" Draco gave her a small smile.  _I don't want her to go, but she needs to for herself._  
"Yeah, I probably should. Thanks, Draco."   
  
"I'll go get your things and bring them down, then I'll help you with your tire." Draco slowly pulled away from her and made his way towards the staircase and then disappeared upstairs.  
  
Hermione smiled but stood up to go peek out the front window to stare at her car. The trees and grass were glistening with morning dew from the previous rain at night. The sky was mostly cloudy but Hermione could see the sun starting to peek out above the clouds. Hermione looked out to watch a few muggles walking down the street with a small child and she smiled. It reminded her of her parents and what it was like before she discovered her powers. She turned around at the sound of Draco walking down the steps and stood up to meet him at the door. He smiled and set her other clothes and shoes on the couch.  
  
"Uh, you wanna drive home in heels? Sounds troublesome." Draco looked at her.  
  
"I'll be fine, it's not that far anyway. Uh, but..." Hermione paused. "Do you mind if I go home in these? I don't really feel like putting on that dress again anytime soon." Hermione glanced at the pile and made sure that she had everything. Draco had even grabbed her wand from his room and placed it on the pile.  
  
"It's alright." He felt a warmth spread in his chest and he smiled at her. "I'm going to get my spare tire from the garage and everything else that I need. Meet you outside?" Draco asked and Hermione nodded. He unlocked the front door and opened it for her before disappearing back into the house.   
  
Hermione watched him go before putting on her shoes and pulling her keys from her stuff. She then proceeded down the long driveway towards her car and unlocked it to put everything inside. Once she shut the door she took a look at her driver's side tire and kneeled down to get a better look at it. "What the hell?" She reached forward to touch a gaping hole in her tire that was surrounded by scorch marks. She turned her head to see Draco coming towards her with a toolbox and a spare tire when she stood up to look at him. "This wasn't an accident." Draco had reached her and looked at her in confusion. "Someone popped my tire with magic." She almost whispered. "Look at the scorch marks." The two of them kneeled back down and Draco ran his fingers over the marks. "I think it was the Diffindo charm."  
  
"I was thinking the same thing." Draco nodded. "You might want to start watching your back." He warned before starting to take off the tire to change it. Hermione stood back up and stared at him with slight amusement.  
  
"I never thought I would see Draco Malfoy changing a car tire, no less the muggle way." Hermione shook her head.  
  
"I understand. But people change y'know?" Draco smiled and started putting the new tire in place. Once he was finished he packed all his tools away again before standing up. "You should change your tire for a proper one that fits your car once you get home. You can also probably use magic to fix it there as well." He whispered the word 'magic' when he talked to her. Mentioning 'magic' was typically something you whispered if you were in any proximity to muggles.   
  
"Thanks, Draco. For everything." Hermione smiled.  
"Of course, let me know if you ever need anything. I'll be there if I can."  
  
"Oh, yeah." Hermione turned around to get into her car and scribble something on a piece of paper from inside her dashboard. She spent a second to write something down before turning back around and offering it out to Draco. "Here, It's my address. I only live about seven or six blocks down from here. And I didn't know if you had a muggle phone, but my number's on there too." Hermione's cheeks were slightly pink and Draco simply took the paper from her with a smile.  
  
"I do not have a muggle phone as a matter of fact, but I guess I'll have to get one." Draco smiled at her and Hermione's cheeks turned red.  
"Uh-huh. Wow." She faltered under his suave manner. "Y'know, I never understood why girls fawned over you at school."  
"Do you now?" Draco smirked.  
"Huh? No way!" She wouldn't meet his eyes before quickly moving and getting in her car, stumbling a bit as she did so.  
"You sure 'Mione?" Draco asked as he leaned just a bit closer.  
"W-who said you could use my nickname!" Hermione was getting really flustered at this point and Draco backed away and laughed.  
  
He worked through his amusement until he stopped laughing. "You truly are beautiful." Draco smiled at her and moved to close her car door for her. Hermione turned her key and rolled down her window to glare at Draco. "Aw, don't pout 'Mione, I'm just playing around."  
  
"Yeah, I know." Hermione blushed and turned her face away. Draco leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek and Hermione turned scarlet up to her ears. He pulled away and Hermione turned to face him with shock and uncertainty.  _Draco fucking Malfoy._  She felt a warmth in her stomach and she gave a small shake of her head. "Thank you for the help Draco." She said very politely and caused Draco to chuckle a bit.  
  
"No problem 'Mione." He smiled and watched as she blushed before curtly nodding to him and driving off.  
  
Draco smiled and watched her go off into the distance before grabbing his tools and picking up the other tire and inspecting it.  _I only have a few ideas of who could have done this. And I pray it wasn't any of them._  Draco started back up his driveway and back into his house. "Time to get to work."  
  
\---  
  
Hermione pulled her car up in front of her small two-bedroom apartment and got out of her car. She glanced back at the tire.  _I'll deal with that later._ Hermione then went to unlock her door and step inside. She looked all around and still noticed some of Ron's things scattered about.  _He has a key. I'm surprised he didn't grab his stuff._  Hermione put her clothes, purse, and keys down before kicking off her heels. She then proceeded to go around her whole apartment to collect all of Ron's stuff. "No going back." Hermione had even found one of Ron's old Quidditch duffle bags and she managed to shove all of his belongings inside. Her apartment looked a lot cleaner than it had with his belongings there.   
  
Hermione glanced down at her feet and noticed a letter on the ground by the mail slot. She opened it and saw that it was a letter from Ginny that looked like it was written in a manner of haste. Hermione did her best to make out what her best friend had to say.  
  
_Hermione,_  
  
I heard about what happened last night. Well, as I'm writing this, tonight.  
I'll swing by in the morning to see how you're doing, I hope that you're  
alright and that Malfoy didn't try anything on you. If he didn't... well   
good for him but I still don't trust him. Ron keeps yelling about getting  
you back and that he's going to come after you. He's really upset and he  
kept apologizing over and over again. Harry's been keeping him from   
going near you so far, which can only work for so long, knowing Ron.  
  
I'll be over around 10:45. I hope you're doing okay.  
  
With love,   
Ginny  
  
Hermione glanced over at the clock on her kitchen wall.  _10:30._  Hermione turned and moved Ron's bag by the door.  _I'm sure Ginny will understand._  Hermione grabbed her shoeso and clothes before going into her bedroom and staring at the empty sheets. She felt a small anger burn in her chest and started stripping the bed completely of everything.  _I'm not going to let you haunt me here._  Hermione took the bundle of sheets and brought them into her laundry room. She put the sheets inside the washer and poured as much soap as she could without the washer risking of overflowing and started the machine.  
  
She sort of jumped when she heard a knock on her door and she stepped out of the laundry room almost cautiously. Hermione stepped lightly back into the living room and reached for her wand on the couch before holding it at her hip and pointed away from her. She slowly opened the door and let out a sigh of relief once she saw it was just Ginny.   
  
 Her friend gave her a weak smile. "Merlin, you scared me, Ginny." Hermione pulled open the door further and saw Harry standing behind her. "Harry? I thought-" She turned to Ginny who interrupted her.  
  
"My brothers-sorry. George is watching him." Ginny interrupted and Hermione felt a pang in her chest. Ginny only gave another sad smile and walked through the door. Harry followed her but stopped to hug Hermione.  
  
"Hey." He rubbed her back before pulling away.  
"Hey." Hermione gave him a small smile in return.  
"Hey?" Ginny sat on the couch and waved her hand to get their attention.  
  
"Sorry, Ginny." Harry and Hermione said in unison and Harry moved over to sit by her once Hermione shut the door.  
  
"So how's living in an area full of muggles?"  _What?_  Hermione looked at her in confusion and Ginny smiled and gestured to her house. "It's so weird, not seeing magic everywhere here. The only time I travel to muggle London is to visit you. I will say it's kinda interesting."  
  
"Ginny?" Harry looked at her confounded.  
"What?"  
"I get what you're trying to do, but we should get straight to the point about this."  
"Harry I don't want to upset her."  
"Ginny I don't think that can be helped with this. Harry gestured to Hermione.  
"Well, it's just a breakup." Ginny looked confused.  
"Ginny it's more than that."  
  
"Can you both please stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Hermione was upset at this point and she stood up. She had already explained the situation to Draco, and now her friends were asking her to do it again. "You both can't even begin to comprehend what you're asking me to do!" Hermione felt her chest tighten and she was worried she might have a panic attack.  
  
"Okay, okay. We're sorry Hermione." Ginny stood up and moved over to grab her shoulders. "It's okay. Take your time."  
  
Hermione looked at Ginny with gratitude and tried to calm herself down. Ginny could be reckless sometimes when it came to what she said, but her heart was always in the right place. Hermione sat back down and Ginny took her seat next to Harry again. Harry had an apprehensive look on his face and he looked at Hermione in worry.  _He probably wants to ask about the fight._  Hermione noticed Harry looking at her wrists and she pulled her arms to her chest to hide them in some way. Harry met her eyes and then looked away in shame.  _I know he's just worried about me._ "Well, what do you want to know? Hermione finally asked Ginny.  
  
"Well, what happened between you and Ron?" Ginny asked and Harry shifted in his seat.  
  
"Well, you knew that for a while, everything was okay." Hermione started to explain and Ginny nodded. "And you knew that we started to fight, and we would end up yelling at each other when those fights were very bad." Hermione went over the easy stuff and Harry waited for her to continue. "Well, last night we had another huge fight, two, technically." She shrugged. "When I stormed out of the party earlier, my car got a flat, and the person who I asked for help ended up being Draco. I wasn't allowed to use magic and it was pouring outside, so Draco invited me to stay the night and he'd help me fix the tire in the morning." Hermione thought of the next bit and remembered it almost fondly before she remembered why she was saying it. "Then, Draco let me borrow some clothes for the night, and I was about to go to bed when I heard a sound from downstairs. I grabbed my wand and heard voices, shot a spell at Ron before Harry could tell him that is was them, and then Draco came down when he heard the noise." Hermione looked down at her hands for the rest of the explanation. "Then, Ron got upset because I was wearing Draco's clothes, he asked if I was cheating on him. I told him 'no' and that I couldn't do it anymore, and he said 'fine' and he and Harry left." Hermione finished and hoped that would be the end of it, but she knew it wouldn't.  
  
"Wow that sounds like a lot," Ginny said after a few moments.  
"Yeah, it was." Harry met Hermione's eyes in a knowing way.  
  
"Yeah, I'm gonna get some air." Hermione stood up and made her way to the back door of her apartment. No sooner than she stepped outside did Harry make his way towards her and step outside with her. He closed the door behind him and looked over at Hermione who had her eyes fixed on the ground.  
  
"Hermione. I know what I saw, but how much didn't I see or notice?" Harry asked.  
  
She paused before answering and let out a long sigh. "A lot. A lot happened, Harry." She shook her head   
  
Harry paused to take in what she said and he shook his head in disbelief. "Fuck!" He yelled with all of his might. Hermione looked at him and felt her heart ache. Harry held his head in his hands in anger and shook his head. "I fucking knew..." He shook his head, sat down and turned back to Hermione. "I was suspicious for awhile, that this was happening." Harry sighed and tears started welling up with the realization. "I noticed the bruises on you every once in awhile. Your neck, arms, legs, wrists." He paused. "Tell me, the two times you had a black eye, you told everyone that you got it from practicing your flying. Were you lying, Hermione?"  
  
After a moment she spoke. "Yes, Harry. I lied."  
  
"Merlin." Harry shook his head and hit his hand on the ground. "DAMMIT!"  
"Harry!" Hermione rushed over to him an wrapped her arms around him. "Stop it. Stop blaming yourself."  
"But 'Mione, If I'd only-"  
"If you'd only what? You and I both didn't want to believe that Ron could do this. He's your best friend."  
"But he did, and I thought maybe he did, and I did nothing, and-"  
"Harry stop. Please. You couldn't have known for sure." Hermione tried to comfort him.  
"But then what about last night? I just stood there watching, It was happening right in front of me and I did nothing."  
"You an Draco both didn't know what to do, Harry. It's okay." Hermione hugged him.  
"I'm so sorry for not ever saying anything." Harry turned to hug her back.  
"It's okay, but if it makes you feel any better, I forgive you."  
  
After a moment Hermione pulled away from Harry and sat next to him in silence. They sat like that for a few minutes before Harry spoke up. "Are you going to tell Ginny?" he asked.  
  
Hermione thought for a second and then shook her head. "I love Ginny, and I want to tell her, but she's Ron's sister. And you know how she is, Ron doesn't need any harassment about this yet. I'm sure you've already talked to him about it-or tried to."  
  
Harry nodded. "Yeah, last night I tried to confront him about it, but he wasn't really having it. He just wants you back, it's all he's been talking about today. But I just don't think that's going to or should happen." Hermione only nodded at Harry's comment. There was another moment of silence before Harry spoke again. "Are you ready to head back inside?" He looked and Hermione and she nodded before standing up after him. Harry opened the door for her and they both joined Ginny back on the couch.  
  
"Everything okay?" Ginny asked and switched her gaze to Harry and Hermione.  
"Yeah, I'm okay." Hermione nodded.  
  
 Ginny gave her a small smile and glanced at Harry. Harry sighed and abruptly stood up before walking back out the back door in order to give them privacy. Ginny smile and watched him leave before she moved over to sit next to Hermione. "I know you Hermione, and I know that you and Harry probably had a conversation about something I don't know about. And I know there's probably good and a justified reason why you're not telling me. I just want you to know that I won't push you on any of this. I get it, Dean and I used to fight a lot too, and that relationship wasn't safe sometimes either. "Ginny laced her fingers with Hermione's and gave her hand a squeeze. "Just know that I'm here for you and that I wish the best. I'll always be here if you ever need me."  
  
"Thanks, Gin." Hermione smiled and the two shared a hug.  
"Okay, next topic." Ginny pulled away from her and yelled towards the back door. "Harry! You're good!"  
  
Soon after Ginny yelled Harry opened the back door and made his way back over to them. He calmly went over and sat on the other couch before looking at them. "I'm free from my banishment?" Hermione and Ginny laughed at him and Hermione was grateful for him trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"Alright, enough about Ron. Let's talk about Draco." Ginny said with excitement.  
"Ginny!" Hermione rolled her eyes and felt a blush rise to her face.  
"Whaat?" She smiled. "I'm just curious!"  
"Ginny nothing happened." Hermione rolled her eyes.  
"Hermione you and I both know that Draco-sorry Harry-is hot. How did nothing happen?"  
  
Harry turned to Ginny and scrunched up his nose. "Excuse me, I happened to attract quite a number of females back at Hogwarts."  
  
"Harry that's because they thought you were the chosen one." Hermione shook her head.  
"But I am the chosen one!" Harry exclaimed.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and Ginny sent Harry a glare. He just laughed and shrugged it off as he was pulling her leg. Hermione remembered the topic before shaking her head. "Nothing happened between me and Draco.' Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat.  
  
Ginny frowned and shook her head. "No, I'm not buying it, Hermione. When you came back to finish your seventh year, you told me Draco came back and that there was a weird vibe between you too. And not a bad one." Ginny leaned forward knowingly and Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise and suspicion.  
  
"It was just a feeling, and that was a while ago. Nothing happened between us."  
"I still think you're hiding something." Ginny teased.  
"Nope. Nothing." Hermione said curtly and that seemed to abruptly end the conversation.  
  
There was an awkward silence and Harry could tell that Ginny was struggling with not saying anything more about Hermione and Draco. He shifted in his seat as the silence went on and tried to think of something else to talk about. "Oh, so Hermione." She turned to him and looked somewhat grateful to have broken the silence. "Did you get your tire fixed?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah, Draco fixed it this morning." Ginny moved her eyebrows in a suggestive way and Hermione rolled her eyes.  _Ginny I love you, but bugger off._  "But, there was something weird about my tire," Hermione remembered the scorch marks and Harry instantly felt a pit drop in his stomach. If Hermione felt concerned enough to mention her tire then Harry took it as serious.  
  
"What was weird?" Harry asked and Ginny glanced at him in confusion at his seriousness.  
"There were these weird scorch marks on the tire, it's like someone used the Diffindo charm."  
"The Diffindo charm?" Harry's words faded off. "Where's the tire, Hermione? Can I look at it?" Harry asked.  
"I left it at Draco's house, he probably has it still."  
"Can you get a hold of him?"  
"I-I mean, we could always drive over and hope he's there, or send an owl." Hermione was taken aback.  
"Then let's go." Harry stood up abruptly and started towards the door.  
  
"Harry? What's going on?" Ginny asked.  
"Ginny, stay here or go home, alright? This has to do with my job." Harry looked at her as she went up to him.  
"Harry you have today off."  
"An Auror never really has a day off." Harry hugged her and Ginny shook her head.  
  
"Fine. Go do your work. I'll head home." Ginny sighed to hug him again before walking back over to Hermione and hugging her. "I hope everything turns out okay." She pulled away and smiled at her friend. "Be safe, okay?" She smiled and Harry opened the door for her. She smiled back at him and made her way into the car that they drove up in.  
  
"Why didn't you just apparate inside my house? You have the address." Hermione asked as she watched Ginny drive off. "As long as you apparated inside then we wouldn't have to worry about any muggles seeing it." Hermione put on her tennis shoes and grabbed her purse and wand before following Harry out the door.  
  
"We tried not to scare you." Harry laughed and closed the door. "And, I think there's something humbling about driving around in a car and not just, 'whipping out our wands for everything'." Harry and Hermione both chuckled when he quoted Molly Weasley and they got into the car.  
  
They both put on their seatbelts and Hermione pulled a U-turn and started back towards Draco's house. She stopped at a sign when Harry finally spoke. "Not to be Ginny, but did nothing really happen?" Hermione let out a sigh and Harry quickly spoke up again. "I'm not gonna be mad or anything if you say yes Hermione, I would understand. But like, you're still in his clothes, and, he just seems different. Lighter, and not as upset or angry. Changed, even." Harry commented.   
  
"Nothing happened that I didn't want to happen. Draco and I...I guess we're friends? I don't really know." She paused to actually think about it.  _What are we?_ "He helped me, and we had breakfast, but... I don't know. I think we're just new friends." Hermione shrugged and Harry seemed to believe her and drop the conversation. Hermione found Draco's house again and pulled into his huge driveway this time. She and Harry both exited the car and went up to knock on Draco's door.  
  
After a few moments, Hermione knocked on the door again and soon after they both heard the unlocking sound of the door and then it opened. Draco appeared on the other side and saw Hermione first and gave her a smile, then he noticed Harry and his look turned into confusion.  
  
"Harry, Hermione, how can I help you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't tell how long the story will be-chapter wise-but I do intend to make it a solid story. Please continue to leave your comments, I do enjoy what you have to say about the content in my story, and it does help in giving me ideas for smaller details in the story. Thanks for reading!


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